Chateau Monrecour is a special find in the heart of my favorite part of France. The chateau sits on a small hillside overlooking the valley with views of Chateau Beynac to the east and Millandes to the south. The atmosphere is friendly, the staff engaging and helpful, and the rooms elegant and spacious. I love to sit on the terrace enjoying the peacefulness of the Dordogne and relaxing with a good book and a glass of wine. This was my third visit and I can't wait to return.

This quite lovely hotel is situated between Beynac and St. Cyprien in the heart of the Dordogne. It's right on the main road, which has its downside (there is some noise, especially if you're in the chateau part), but it is a genuinely lovely spot, which deserves all of its three stars. The rates are very reasonable, although they get you on the breakfasts if you choose to have them (14 euros per adult), and the rooms are lovely. We—two adults and two children—stayed in the "tabbatiere" which is the old tobacco-drying building, now adapted to its purpose and quite beautifully. Our room was spacious and clean, with a very nicely appointed bathroom. The hotel has two pools and two wading pools as well. The main pools are on the gite side (larger groups can rent the outlying buildings) and on the chateau side as well, both are clean and enjoyable.

The breakfast was plentiful and delicious with fruit, meats, yoghurt, many kinds of baked goods and excellent coffee. We liked the staff a lot, although we did find one or two of the part-timers rude. We had some friends to the terrace for a drink and when their kids decided they wanted to dip in the pool a staff member appeared and very brusquely informed us that only our children—as guests—could swim in the pool; theirs were forbidden. I suppose I understand this, but it is ridiculous to be that slavish to a policy when the pool is empty (as it was) and it is 85 degrees out (as it was). It was the only disappointing moment in a fine stay.

A really lovely and unusual hotel. One on hand, a real chateau type large rooms with poster beds. On the other, the athmosphere is totally informal and relaxed, and the staff is always happy to talk to you for hours about anything. We got some good gardening tips from the gardener and learned about dogs from the cook.

The location is great, in the middle of the Dordogne Valley, 20-30 minutes by car to all major attractions. Some kind of wheels is definitely needed to get places. The hotel offers only breakfast (good one, and reasonably priced). Considering the quality of the rooms,the price is attractive, and this is because the hotel has no restaurant. However, there is a good choice of restaurants within 10-15 minutes drive, so there is no real problem.

In short, if you are mobile, it is a wonderful place to stay in while you are touring the Perigord.

We booked direct by email to the hotel and they responded very quickly confirming our reservation. We booked a privilege room on the first floor (Chambre 3) - and the reality did actually reflect the website photos ie four poster bed, flat screen TV, nice bathroom and lovely views etc. The balcony is actually shared with a neighbouring room and so is not exclusive. In addition the balcony (whilst having a fantastic view over the Chateau at Beynac) seemed to have no sun at all and so was of limited use. The room and hotel was very clean and well maintained. The staff (including the gardener who offered some advice on the local bike routes !) were all very friendly and helpful - although be aware that we were not able to check out until after 9am as the receptionist did not arrive until then which was slightly inconvenient if you needed to get away early. The outside pool was in a good location but even in July was cold as it was not heated. There was also a large friendly dog wandering around.

The hotel is well located near to Beynac and a short distance from the Dordogne river and you can hire bikes and canoes nearby if you so wish. The hotel is well signposted from the main road and is easy to locate. There are a lot of very pretty villages in the area but the roads are incredibly busy (and not entirely safe for pedestrians and cyclists). A car is really needed to get around.

Breakfast was (as is usually the case) on the expensive side for what it was. Better value could be obtained elsewhere - although the nearest village is Beynac a couple of miles away and so you need transport. Breakfast did not start until 8am.

On the downside, there was no restaurant at the hotel (other than breakfast) and so if you wanted to eat, you had to drive or cycle - the nearest big village is Beynac which is a mile or two down the road and there are a number of restaurants and cafes there. The hotel does sell cold drinks and coffee during the day which can be had on the patio area at the rear. There is a prohibition on the eating of food in your room !

All in all, this was a very nice hotel in a useful location - although I found it a little "souless" and was disappointed that there was no restaurant and that it was not easy to book out on departure. I would be happy to stay at this hotel again but would not be disappointed if it were fully booked and I had to look for another hotel !